Communication Tips with ADHD

Do you need better self-care? Do you experience signs of spousal burnout? Partners of those struggling with ADHD have a higher risk than the average spouse to be struggling and exhausted. If that’s you, then try these 7 Pillars of Self-Care for non-ADHD partners.

Typical styles of communication may not be as effective when one of you has ADHD. Couples often say that conversations get derailed too easily, a conversation unexpectedly turns into an argument, or that neither partner ends the conversation feeling heard or understood. Here’s some strategies that may help you communicate in a more ADHD-friendly way:

Want to feel better about how you navigate conflict in your relationship? Here’s a four-part approach, based on Internal Family Systems (IFS), that will help you listen to what’s going on inside yourself and receive your partner’s words more easily. 

Suggesting to your partner that he or she might have ADHD can be really tricky, particularly if your partner is volatile or experiences a great deal of shame.  What to do?

Your partner may not seem curious about you, but that doesn't mean you can't still connect.

Partners of adults with ADHD sometimes report they are disappointed that their ADHD partner isn't more empathetic.  Lack of empathy can leave them feeling unloved or alone.  What to do?

This simple strategy can help couples repair from scritchy times.

Stress exaggerates our normal tendencies.  When one of you has ADHD and the other one doesn’t that can be a problem... or a blessing.  

Introducing the topic of ADHD into your partnership may feel daunting, but here are tips to make it easier.

In a lovely success story, one woman tells how she and her husband discovered that his long-standing habit of interrupting her was a coping strategy to mask ADHD distraction.  Could this be happening to you?